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TATENTED JAN.5,1 904. J. J. cLTTToRD.

BOTTLE FILLING APPARATUS.

- APPLIGTION FILED FEB'. 13. 1903. N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED JAN. 5, 19044.

J. J. CLIFFORD. BOTTLE FILLING APPARATUS.

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10.748,585. PATENTBD'JAN. 5, 1,904. J.J.GL1PF0RD.

BOTTLE FILLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13. 1903. N0 MODEL. I 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATESA Patented January 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES J. CLIFFORD, OF GREEN ISLAND, NEWYORK, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES J. CLIFFORD & CO., OF GREEN ISLAND, NEW YORK, A FIRM.

BOTTLE-FILLING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 748,585, dated January 5, 1904.

- Application led February 13,` 1903. Serial 110.143.248. (N o model.)

To w55 whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, JAMES J. CLIFFORD, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Green Island, county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Filling Apparatus, of which the following is a speciiication.

The invention relates to such improvements; and it consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figures. p

Figure l of the drawings is a view in side elevation of myimproved bottle-filling machine. Fig.- 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view of the mechanism for expelling the surplus of liquid from the filled bottles. Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the bottle-filling pipe, the bottle-supporting bed being shown in section. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section taken on the brokenline 5 5 in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-section taken on the broken line-66 in Fig. `7.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken centrally and` longitudinally through the main supply-pipe for the rinsing apparatus. Fig. 8 is a section taken on the broken line 8 '8 in Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a view in side elevation of a portion of one of the bottle-supporting wings of the rinsing apparatus. Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the same.

My invention relates to machines for filling bottles, such as are used in supplying to the trade spring-water and other liquids.A

The objects of the invention will appear in connection with the following description.

A feature of the invention consists in the combination in a single machine or apparatus of both bottle-filling mechanism and means for rinsing the bottles preparatory to lling and automatically transferring the bottles from the rinsing device to the filling device,

` all operated conjointly.

1 represents the framework of the rinsing apparatus, and 2 the framework of the fiilling apparatus. I have shown the two frameworks supported in fixed relation to` each other, as by bolting both to the same bed or floor 3, and conveying mechanism is provided interposed between the rinsing and filling `'7, to which rotary movements are imparted through the sprocket-wheel 8,also fixed thereon, and the endless chain 9, as will be hereinafter described. At intervals certain oppositely-located links in the chains 4 are connected together by a rigid hollow cross bar or pipe lO, provided with nipples 11, projecting therefrom at right angles to the chain carrier and each adapted to receive thereupon the open end of a bottle supported thereon in an inverted position. Oppositelydisposed links in the chains et on opposite sides of and adjacent to the pipe-connected links are connected together, respectively, by the wings 12, each comprising a board supported `in a plane at right angles to the chain car- :rier and having its outer edge portion on the side' adjacent to said nipples provided with notches 13, disposed opposite the respective nipples. It will be seen that as the chain carrier is operated these Wings 12, being always at right angles to the portion of the chain 4, with which they are connected, will in passing the sprocket-wheels 5 and 6 be caused to assume positions radial thereto, whereby the boards of each pair of wings locatedon opposite sides of one of the pipes 10 willbe caused to diverge outwardly from each other. When, however, such wings are located on the upper side of the carrier between the sprocket-wheels 5 and 6, they will occupy planes parallel with each other or may even converge upwardly toward each other on account of the slack in the chains.

ing and closing movements thus imparted to said wings enables me to utilize them for supporting the bottles upon the respective nipples, the bottles being applied to the nipples The open- ICO whilepassing said sprocket-Wheels andfdelivered. while Vpassing thefotherm sprocketwheels 6. These wings being made of wood or other comparatively soft material, thebots tles can be quickly applied to the nipples and permitted to ,drop into seats `formed bythe. notches 12 in the wings without danger4 of breakage, and in passing from the sprocketwhee1s'5 to the sprocket-wheels 6 the bottles are supported by the wings in an upright inverted position upon the respective nipples.

Each of the pipes 10 is connected by means of aliexible tube 14 with one of the ports 15 in the valve-hub 16, rotatively mounted upon the hollow shaft 17 and provided with such 'a port 15 for each pipe 10. The hollow vshaft 17 is provided with an aperture or port 18, adapted to register successively with the ports 15 in the hub as the latter is rotated and to admit fluid from said hollow shaft through said registering ports and a flexible tube 14 to a pipe 10. .Except when one of the ports 15 registers with the aperture 18 the valve is closed. The flexible tubes 14 are so arranged that as each port 15 is caused to register with the aperture 18 it is connected by a tube 14 with that one of the pipes 10 which is located directly above the valve and upon the nipples of which the bottles are supported in inverted vertical position.

Water or other rinsing Iiuid may be supplied to the hollow shaft 17 in any knowny manner, as through the supply-pipe 19, communicating therewith.

Intermittent rotary movements are imparted to the valve-hub corresponding with similar intermittent movements imparted to the. chain carriers and nipple-supporting pipes, which intermittent movements may be accomplished in any known manner. As a means for intermittently rotating the valvehub I have shown the hub provided with outwardly-projecting spurs 20, corresponding in number with the pipes 10 and adapted. as they valve-hub is rotated to be successively moved into and out of the path traversed by said pipes. These spurs are so arranged upon the hub that at the beginning of the intermittent movement one of the pipes 10 will engage one of said spurs and impart to the valve-hub a partial rotary movement sufficient to close the valve by causing the shaft-aperture 18 to register with one of the closed portions of the valve-hub between two ports 15, but not suficient movement to bring the next port 15 into registry with the shaft-aperture 18. The movement so imparted to the valve -hub causes the spur so engaged to pass out from the path of its engaging pipe 10 and causes the next spur to be moved into the path of the next pipe 10, which in turn engages saidv last-mentioned spur to complete the movement of the valve-hub which brings the next port 15 into registry with the shaft-aperture 18. In like manner the carrier 4 and valve- ,c hub 16 are intermittently moved in accord- .l

`yance with each other, so that .the rinsing iiuid to each when directly over the valve and is Ycrut off from said pipes while the bottles are still maintained in an inverted vertical posi- 4tionsuitable for draining the rinsing iiuid therefrom. The flexible tubes 14 permit the Vpipes 10 to travel through a more extended path than the ports in the valve-hub with which they are respectively connected and also permit the valve-hub to be given a separate opening movement and a separate clo'sing movement each A,time the carrier 4 is intermittently operated.

Bottles may be applied to the rinsing-nipples by hand or in any known manner at one end of the apparatus above described adjacent to the sprocket-wheels 5 and at theother end of said apparatus adjacent to the sprocketwheels 6. Means for transferring the rinsed bottles automatically to the filling apparatus are shown.

Any known kform of rinsing apparatus may be substituted for that shown and 4above described.

The filling apparatus in its preferred form comprises in` part a stationary framework '21, provided with a .horizontal bed or table 22, terminating on the side adjacent to therinsing apparatus in a gradually-inclined bed or table 23. These two tables or bedsare preferably formed of continuous slats arranged side by side, separated slightly from each other and bowed or arched at the junction of .the inclined bed with the horizontal bed. The framework 21 supportsran endlesscarrier formedv by the chains 24, passingv over lsprocket-wheels25, fixed upon the cross-shaft 26, over the idle sprocket-wheels .27 in line Iwith the bowed portion of the table, and over the sprocket-wheels 28, fixed upon the driveshaft 29,'to which rotary movements may be imparted' by the hand-wheel30 or in. any known manner. The carrier-chains are connected together at intervals by cross-bars 31,

'secured to oppositely-disposed-links in said chains, said cross-.bars being preferably provided ontheir forward edges with recesses 32, adapted to receive 'and fit the bodies of the bottles 33, respectively, when'the .bottoms of said bottles are resting upon the slats ofthe inclined or horizontal bed. Each of these cross-bars is valso provided with a bracket 34, adapted to .engage and support the bottles seated in said recesses.

1 The cross-bar 31 and the bracket 34 constitute a rack, upon. which the. bottlesv are seated and supported. The bottles so seated `and supported'will be by the movement of the chain carriers 24 caused to slide upwardly along the inclined bed andhorizontally along the horizontal bed, where theyare brought beneath and vinto line with` the respective nozzles 35 on the under side of the horizontal supply-pipe 36, which. may be supplied with spring-water or other liquid with which itis is. supplied to .the pipes 10` successively and ICO IIO

desired to fill the bottles. Intermittent movements are `preferably imparted to the carrierchains 24 so limited that a row of rack-supported bottles is permitted to remain atrest beneath said supply-pipe 36 until lled The bottles may be delivered to the filling apparatus in any known manner. I have shown means for automatically delivering the bottles from the rinsing apparatus to the filling apparatus, the same comprising inpart a channeled transfer-table 37, supported upon the outer end of two pairs of links 38 by means of hinge connections, the lower ends of said links being separately hinge-connected with a fixed support, as at 39 and 40, such points of connection being some distance apart. Oscillating movements impart- 1 ed to said table andlinks cause the outer brought from an inverted vertical position to a horizontal position, and as the movement is continuedto a downwardly-inclined position such that they slip by gravity off from the respective nipples, and the parts are so arranged and the movements so timed that as the bottles are thus automatically delivered from the rinsing mechanism they are received by the channeled table 37, the same `being in an approximatelylhorizontal position, the channels in said table being arranged in line with the respective nipples; As the table with its supply 0f bottles so received is moved toward the filtering apparatus it is caused to gradually'assume a downwardly-inclined position, permitting thebottles to slide along their respective channels downwardly until they engage the slattedinclined bed 23 'in the path of one of th'e racks formed by a cross-bar 3l and bracket 34. As said rack is caused by the movements of the carrier-chains 24 to approach the row of bottles'so delivered and supported uponthe inclined bed the channeled table 37 is gradually moved away from the lling apparatus, permitting said rack to pass beneath said table into engagement with the row of bottles before the support of said channeled table is entirely removed from the bottles. Im mediately after the bottles are so engaged by` said rack the channeled table is quickly moved to the end of its path of movement adjacent to the rinsing apparatus in position to receive the next row of bottles delivered therefrom.

Movements areimparted to the carrierchains 4 of the rinsing apparatus in accordance with the, movementsof the carrierchains 24 of the filling apparatus by connecting the chain 9 with a sprocket-wheel 41, fixed upon the cross-shaft 26.-

The oscillating movements of the chan neled transfer-table 37 are accomplished by means of a cam 42, fixed upon the shaft `26 and adapted to engage a lever 43, fulcrumed upon the frame of the machine at 44 and connected by link 45 lwith an arm 46, fixed to oscillate with one of the table-supporting links 38. The fulcrum 44 of said lever 43 is so located relatively to the axis of the shaft 26 that the cam 42 engages said lever at a considerable distance from its fulcrum, causing a comparatively slow movement of the lever and the transfer-table, which movement of the table is that which withdraws the table from the path of the rack formed by the cross-bar 31 and bracket 34 as said rack is brought into engagement with the bottles. As the cam 42 continues to rotate it engages said lever 43 at a point much nearer its fulcrum, causing a more rapid movement of said lever and a quick movement of said transfer-table, which is the movement causing the return of said table `to its position adjacent to the rinsing apparatus to receive a fresh supply of bottles therefrom. j v Each intermittent movement of the carrierchains 24 causes the row of filled bottles to be moved along the horizontal bed from beneath the filling-nozzles of the supply-pipe to a position from which they can be removed by hand or in any known manner from the apparatus. When the bottles are filled tooverflowing, it is necessary that they should be relieved of a portion of their contents before the corks or Stoppers can be applied. I have shown the filling apparatus provided with means whereby a portion of the contents of the filled bottles can be expelled, the same `comprising a series of rods 48, fixed upon a slide-rack 49 in line with the respective bottles as delivered from beneath the filling-nipples, said rack being capable of vertical slide movements upon the supporting-frame 50, whereby said rods are caused to enter the open ends of the respective bottles a sufficient distance to displace the desired amount of liquid. Theslide-rack 49 is yieldingly supported in a raised position by means of the springs 51, which permit the rack to be forced downwardly by hand for the purpose described.

If desired, the hollow shaft 17 of the rinsing apparatus may be provided with an outlet-groove 52 in its outer surface leading exteriorly of the valve-hub and adapted to be brought into registry with each` port 15` immediately after `the same is cut off from the aperture or port 18 in the supply-pipe, whereby the rinsing liquid is permitted to drain from the pipevlO and its nipples while the nipples and bottles are `upright in an approximately vertical position and before they have become sufficiently inclined to permit the rinsing fluid to drain from said nipples into the partially-righted bottles.

For convenience of illustration I have shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings only two of the iexible pipes 14 in full, the other pipes being broken away, and for the same reason the flexible pipes 14: are shown broken away and in section in Fig. 1.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. In a machine of the class described and in combination, bottle-rinsing apparatus having an endless bottle-carrier adapted to deliver rinsed bottles; bottle-filling apparatus; interposed mechanism adapted to receive bottles from the endless carrier of the rinsing apparatus vand deliver the same to the filling apparatus; and common means Vfor conjointly actuating the several parts.

2. In a machine of the class described, and in combination, bottle-rinsing apparatus having a carrier adapted to deposit rinsed bottles upon a transfer-table; bottle-filling apparatus; a transfer-table interposed therebetween adapted to receive bottles from the carrier of the rinsing apparatus; and means for automatically moving the transfer-table at certain .times from the rinsing to the lling apparatus in correspondence with the movements of the other parts of the machine.

3. In a machine of the class described and in combination, bottle rinsing apparatus; bottle-filling apparatus; a transfer-table reciprocatory therebetween and means for automatically reciprocating said transfer-table in accordance with the movements of other parts of the machine.

4. In a machine of the class described and in combination, bottle-rinsing apparatus; a delivery-table movable toward and from the same; means for moving the delivery-table at certain times to an approximately horizontal position adjacent to said rinsing mechanism adapted for the reception of bottles therefrom and at certain other times to a downwardly-inclined position for the delivery of bottles from said table, and bottle-filling apparatus adapted to receive the bottles delivered from said table.

5. In a machine of the class described and in combination, bottle-rinsing apparatus; bottle-filling apparatus; a transfer-table provided with separate channels for the bottles; and means for automatically moving said channeled table at certain times from the rinsing to the iilling apparatus in accordance with the movements of other parts of the machine.

6. In a machine of 'the-class described and in com bination,bottle-rinsing apparatus having a carrier adapted to simultaneously deliver a plurality of rinsed bottles; bottle-tilling apparatus; transfer mechanism interposed therebetween having separate bottlereceiving channels adapted to. receive the individual bottles as delivered from the carrier of the rinsing apparatus; and means for operating the several part-s conjointly.

7. In a machine of the class described and in combination,bottle-rinsing apparatus having nipples adapted to receive inverted bottles, said nipples being mounted upon a carrier adapted to deliver the rinsed bottles; bottle-lling apparatus having supply-nozzles; means for transferring the bottles delivered from the rinsing apparatus to the tillin g apparatus in line with the respective nozzles; and means for operating .the several parts conjointly.

8. In a machine of the class described and in combination, a bed having a horizontal portion and an inclined portion; a supplypipe provided with nozzles above the horizontal portion of the bed; a carrier; a rack mounted on said carrier engageable with bottles supported on the bed to slide said bottles along the bed toward the supply-pipe;

`bottle-rinsing mechanism; means for receiving the bottles from the rinsing mechanism and depositing them upon the inclined portion of said bed in the path of said rack, and means for operating the several parts conjointly, substantially as described.

9. In a machine of the class described and in combination, a bed having a horizontal portion and an inclined portion; supply-nozzles supported above the horizontal portion of the bed; a carrier; a transverse rack mounted on said carrier engageable with bottles supported on said bed to slide said bottles along the bed toward the supply-nozzles bottle rinsing mechanism; a transfer-table having separate bottle-receiving channels movable to and fro between said inclined bed and rinsing mechanism whereby the same is adapted to receive bottles from the rinsing apparatus and deposit them upon said inclined bed in line with said nozzles; and means for operating the several parts coujointly.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of February, 1903.

JAMES J. CLIFFORD.

Witnesses:

FRANK C. CURTIS, E. M. OREILLY.

IIO 

